This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/907,380 entitled xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Player Trackingxe2x80x9d filed on Jul. 17, 2001, which is currently pending and commonly owned with the present application.
The present invention pertains to the field of player tracking systems. More specifically, the invention relates to a system and method for tracking players that allows player location data to be used to provide game functionality.
Children have been playing a form of paintball for hundreds of years, it""s called tag. Paintball is nothing more than a grown-up version of tag. The paintball represents the xe2x80x9ctagging devicexe2x80x9d and the paintball marker is the tool used to deliver the xe2x80x9ctagging devicexe2x80x9d to the opponent. Another game played by children is called xe2x80x9csock warsxe2x80x9d. This game utilizes rolled-up socks that are used by children to tag each other by throwing the rolled-up socks at one another in hopes of taking an objective that was predefined before the game began. A participant struck by the rolled-up socks is eliminated from the game. In effect, this game is also the same as paintball, only the devices used and the age of the players have changed. People have always been fascinated with the challenge of battle. The strategy of overcoming odds to overthrow an opponent is an integrated part of human nature and is found in both men and women. This may be illustrated by games such as chess, poker, football, soccer, basketball, and many others. These games incorporate the same desires that paintball players seek, a strategic and challenging battle of friendly competition.
Paintball requires participants to use their imagination to come up with ways to simulate military support services such as air strikes, artillery barrages, and destruction of objectives. For example, the throwing of a smoke grenade into an area may be used to simulate an air strike or artillery barrage that requires all players to vacate a predetermined radius, such as 100 feet. Another example includes securing a ribbon around an objective to show that the objective has been destroyed. Unfortunately, imagination only goes so far and most military support services can only be crudely modeled and simulated in paintball.
The present invention relates to an amusement game or extreme sport played with paintball marking devices in which players and/or teams are trying to win a battle played out on a playing field. In addition to the paintball marking devices, the present invention provides a Virtual Battlefield Simulator (VBS) system and method that utilizes a computer system and one or more wireless technologies to allow players to compete with other players and teams to eliminate opposing players and objectives using realistic Virtual Support Services (VSS) and Virtual Supply Arsenals (VSA) as well as track various statistics such as the players"" lives or eliminations, remaining virtual supplies, and the score of the game. The VSS may include virtual air strikes, virtual air defense systems, laser targeting of objectives (Pickling), virtual artillery barrages, virtual minefields, virtual cruise missiles, virtual chemical weapons, virtual nuclear missiles, and virtual nuclear defense missiles. The VSA may include virtual aircraft""s, virtual air-to-ground missiles, virtual surface-to-air missiles, virtual air defense systems, virtual free fall bombs, virtual artillery guns, virtual artillery shells, virtual cruise missiles, virtual land mines, virtual detonation charges, virtual engineer supplies, virtual player lives, virtual nuclear missiles, virtual nuclear defense missiles, and virtual chemical weapons. The players and teams have the capability to request VSS, which result in computer generated attacks (or simulations) on the playing field. Preferably, audio simulations will be generated at speakers located at or near the specified location of the VSS. The damages caused by these attacks are calculated by the computer system and the players on the field are then informed of the outcome through the use of wireless devices that the players carry and special effects on the field.
The playing field may exist indoors or outdoors and radio frequency telemetry technology is preferably used to electronically communicate with the player""s wireless Tracking and Elimination devices (TED) and the objectives (PAD) on the playing field. In one embodiment, the playing field may be broken into virtual field sectors to allow the computer system to trigger activities in desired sectors, such as sound effects, lighting effects, and pyrotechnics, while not affecting surrounding or other virtual field sectors of the playing field. The virtual field sectors are only visible to the computer system and not to the players, although the players TED may inform the players of their current location by displaying the virtual field sector location or geographic coordinates. The TED may include an LCD sector/virtual players live (VPL) display. Any of a variety of wireless or radio frequency telemetry technologies may be used in the present invention, such as radio telemetry, radio triangulation, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPS), spread spectrum technologies, Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), and Angle of Arrival (AOA) technology. The present invention may be implemented for indoor use or for outdoor use on large areas of land, such as hundreds of acres of land to simulate a virtual/real battlefield setting.
The computer controlled VBS system of the present invention will enhance the challenge, strategy and realism to this amusement game and extreme sport by providing realistic VSS and VBS. The VBS system also allows players and teams to locate Field Supply Stashes (FiSS) in the field that can contain virtual supplies for the team to add to the VSA. This system will also deliver special effects to the field in the form of sound, lighting and pyrotechnics. The VBS system will also score the game in real time, track the player""s movement on the field in real time, and provide the ability for the referee or commanders to eliminate players on the field using the VBS system.